How Did I Let It Get This Far?
by Cady James
Summary: Olivia ends up in the emergency room.
1. How Did I Let It Get This Far?

Title: How Did I Let It Get This Far?

Author: Cady James.

Genre: General.

Rating: ADULTish.

Chapters: 1.

Categories: Crime, Drama, Hurt/Comfort.

Pairing: Olivia Benson and OMC.

Characters: Olivia Benson, Odafin Tutuola, John Munch, Don Cragen.

Summary: Liv ends up in the emergency room.

Author Notes: This story popped into my head, for reasons I don't understand. I'm against all violence against Liv and yet, this story came to me… SPOILER ALERT: The story gets happier... in later chapters. Disclaimer: _ Law & Order: Special Victims Unit_ does not belong to me; neither do the characters. They belong to NBCUniversal and Dick Wolf, and one of the most amazing casts ever assembled on television.

Fin Tutuola was asleep in his apartment at 1:00 AM when he heard the sound of his ringtone go off. He had just fallen asleep after a long day at work and meeting and drinking with an old friend from his childhood. He was tired and didn't feel like working a case now. He kept his eyes closed and felt around his nightstand for the phone until his fingers found it.

He opened his eyes enough to see the caller was not his boss, Captain Don Cragen, but his fellow detective Olivia Benson. He sighed and sat up, ready to gear up for another case, and answered the phone. "Hey, Liv. What is it?"

"I'm sorry to wake you but, um… can you do something for me?" she asked.

His attention was on full alert. Her voice sounded soft, cracky, and monotonous. "What's going on, Olivia?"

She paused on the other end of the line and took a deep breath before speaking again. "Um… can you go to the precinct and pick up my just-in-case bag out of my locker. I think it's still unlocked."

Fin was confused. Why couldn't she just get it herself? "Um, okay. Why?"

"I need it. Can you do it?" she asked.

"Yeah, okay. Where do I bring it?" He figured she was stuck somewhere and needed maybe a lift home or clean clothes. Then thoughts came into his head that he didn't like. "Where are you, Liv? What's going on?"

"I'm at… Mercy Hospital. Can you just come here, please?" Liv almost pleaded with him.

Fin stood up quickly, frantically searching for his clothing. "I'm on my way, Baby Girl."

"Thanks, Fin. And… please don't tell the others. Not yet."

"Okay. I'll be right there," he finished and hung up. He threw on clothes and grabbed his keys and ran out the door.

He had stopped by the precinct and grabbed Liv's bag out of her locker and headed out without caring about what the graveyard shift of officers thought as they watched him race in and out. The thoughts racing through his head scared him. His worst fear about Liv was that she would become a victim of rape and that's why she was at the hospital needing clothes. His mind traveled back five years and remembered Sealview and Liv's sexual assault. She had been deeply traumatized after that and it took a long time for her to get back to normal Olivia. He worried now that she might not be the same Olivia that he loved.

He parked the car on the side of the road and ran in and up to the desk. "Excuse me, Ma'am?" he called to the receptionist at the desk.

She blinked up from her computer. "May I help you?"

"Yeah, I'm looking for someone. She might be a patient. Her name is Olivia Benson," he inquired, breathing heavily.

"Are you family?" she asked.

"No, I'm a cop. She's an SVU detective. Look, she called me and asked me to come here. Didn't tell me why. Can you tell me where she is, please?" Fin asked frantically and showed his badge as proof.

The young woman looked at him and decided it was okay. He was a cop and seemed very worried about this woman. She typed the name on the computer and looked up at him once she found the information. "She's in the emergency outpatient area. It's down the hall and to your left."

"Thanks, miss." He stated and rushed off in that direction. Having been to the hospital before for victims, he didn't really need the directions; he just wanted to know where Liv was located.

It took him a moment, just as he passed through the doors, to find her. Some beds were empty, some had patients on them, and none of them were Liv. Others had curtains closed, obscuring the patient inside from peoples' views. He moved to the desk, where a couple nurses sat talking.

"I'm Detective Tutuola from SVU. I'm looking for an Olivia Benson. I think she might be a patient," he told them.

The younger of the two nurses, who looked like she was barely old enough to have graduated high school, looked up at him. "I haven't called the cops yet. Yeah, she's a patient. She's in Curtain 5, but they're taking pictures right now. It's your basic DV case. I think her boyfriend beat on her. I hate these cases. I hope you get the guy that did _that_ to her."

Those words didn't comfort Fin at all. "He rape her?"

The older nurse, who looked old enough to be the younger nurse's grandmother, stood up. "She never said it when she first came in. She might tell the doctor, though, or a cop."

The doctor appeared from the other side of the curtain and came over to the nurse, with the camera. "Nadine, can you process these pictures, please, for the cops?"

The young nurse took the camera. "Sure," she stated and nodded at Fin. "He's a Detective from SVU for Ms. Benson." She took the camera and walked away.

"Hi, Dr. Rodgers. Victim's name is…," the middle-aged doctor started to say but got cut off by Fin.

"Olivia Benson. She works Manhattan SVU. I've known her for over a decade. We've worked close for about as long. Was she raped?" Fin asked, even more panicked than before. No one was helping him with this one fear.

"She hasn't said it, yet. She came in beaten and bloody. There's preexisting bruises which suggest the abuse has been going on for some time now. She did black out during the attack and I've scheduled an MRI, but I still need to do X-rays for her right leg and left wrist. She can barely walk on her right leg, which means she could have broken something, and her wrist might just be sprained, but I want to be sure. But, I need her to tell me if she was raped so I can do the exam quickly," the doctor explained as they neared the curtain where Olivia was. "I must warn you, she looks worse than she is. I'm just worried about her emotional stability right now. You can see her. Try to get her to tell you if she was raped."

Dr. Rodgers walked away, off to tend another patient. Fin braced himself and moved inside the curtain and stopped suddenly. He stared at her, in total shock.

Liv lay there, on the gurney, where nothing but her underwear and a hospital gown. It was a nearly white hospital gown and the lighting was bright enough to see her black underwear right through it. But, that's not what held his attention.

She had a temporary white brace on her left wrist and a bandage above her right eye, and her leg was elevated on the bed by a couple pillows – a temporary fix until the X-rays and maybe a cast. But, that was nothing compared to the rest of her. Her legs seemed to be devoid of all bruising, except on her right leg. Her arms were covered in bruises. Some looked faded and old while others were fresh and various shades of ugly colors. He couldn't see the bruising handprint left on her left wrist, but there were other bruising handprints on her upper arms. Just under the bandage on her head, there was a purple bruising next to her right eye. Her left eye was blue and purple and the eye bloodshot and swollen, and that bruise extended to her cheek and jaw. The right corner of her mouth had dried blood on it that attached to a bruise that went down to her jaw. She also had dried blood under her nose and the top part of her nose was bruised.

"Say something," a small quiet voice said, breaking him out of thoughts.

Fin quickly dropped the bag on a chair and rushed to her side. "Liv! What did he do?"

Liv grabbed the controller and moved the bed into a sitting position and got more comfortable. "He wasn't like this… at first. You've met him; he's a nice guy. He never hurt me at all. Never. I don't know what happened."

"When did he start?"

"Um… a few weeks ago, I guess. But it was nothing I couldn't handle, you know? I'm a cop and I have a gun. But, then it kept on getting worse and worse. But, I was handling it fine. He never went too far because he passed out or I would walk away. I always had my gun with me, in my bag, if I was with him. Then, it just got worse. I tried to stop him, but it just made him more upset. Once, he punched me in the stomach and I flipped him over and told him if he did that again, I'd kill him. Of course, he passed out and never remembered," she continued.

"What happened tonight?" Fin asked.

Olivia was about to answer when Dr. Rodgers returned. "Listen, we need to get an MRI and the X-rays, but I need to know if I have to do a rape kit."

"He didn't rape me. Never," Liv answered and looked at Fin, who was holding her close, being mindful of her bruises. "He didn't rape me, Fin. He didn't."

"Okay," both he and the doctor answered. Then, Dr. Rodgers handed a beige file over to Fin. Here are the photos taken. I'll go schedule the X-rays and MRI. Hang tight." She left them alone.

Fin looked at the photos, one by one. With the bright light of the camera and the overhead lighting in the room, Liv's bruises and injuries stood out. He saw the ones that he could visibly see all ready, and saw some others from her chest, back, and stomach. He closed the folder and breathed for a moment, then glanced up at her. There were tears swimming in her left eye, but barely coming out, while the other eye had tears already falling.

"What happened tonight, Liv?" he asked again, more upset than the first time.

She gulped, and took a deep breath. "He came over and seemed okay at first, but he smelled like booze. I kept trying to calm him, give him coffee… I even tried to get him into the bathroom. I've done that before. Just push him into the shower, turn on the water, and walk out the door and locking myself in my little storage room just in case. This time, I didn't get that far. He was getting angrier when I tried to help him. I tried to calm down, and he lashed out and backhanded me. He never did that before. I was shocked, you know. I had locked my gun away in my nightstand 'cause I wasn't expecting him to come over tonight. I turned to go and get it, and he… he, um…," Liv shook her head, trying to remember what had happened. The movement caused her head to ache, but she breathed through the pain and continued. "He grabbed me and turned me around and said that I wasn't going to walk away from our fight… At that point, with his hand squeezing my wrist and twisting it, I knew… All I had to defend myself was me and all the police training I had ever had. I tried to get away and he twisted my wrist. But, I still attacked him; fighting with him just to get away…" She started to cry harder.

Fin carefully rested his hand on her back, mindful of any injuries like the ones in the pictures. "It's okay, baby. Just breathe and keep going."

Olivia inhaled and exhaled and stopped crying before talking again. "That's where most of the bruises came from… the fighting. He's probably got some scratches and bruises on him, too. I fought hard."

"I don't doubt it," Fin stated.

She smiled slightly and that before continuing. "I managed to free myself and was trying to run to get my gun when… he grabbed me… I tried to get him to let go and he… kind of pushed me. I just remember spinning around… I came to sometime later, lying next to the coffee table. My head was bleeding. Eric… wasn't there. I somehow managed to drive myself to the hospital and I waited till they had me admitted before calling you."

Fin sat there and processed everything she had said. Olivia had met her boyfriend Eric Johnson one night at a bar. She, Fin, Munch, Amanda, Nick, and Alex Cabot went out and celebrated a case they had just won. A serial rapist had thought he was untouchable until evidence, which was nearly thrown out of court, stayed in and managed to get him convicted fifteen years for each count. The man was thirty-eight years old and wasn't even up for parole until he was 120. He was never getting out.

The group had gone out to a bar and Olivia had accidentally dropped her keys when a tall, dark, and handsome man in a suit came up and picked up her keys. Something had sparked between them and they decided to go out to lunch the next day. He was an aide in a local politician's office and had been married once when he was young. He had been divorced for several years and had no kids.

Olivia thought he was perfect and he even got the approval of everyone she worked with. That's all Fin knew. Everything was perfect. He noticed after a while, that Liv seemed off and covered up a lot more. But, sometimes she was like that; it wasn't out of the normal. He thought maybe there was trouble in paradise, or a breakup, or she was just being moody. He had no idea that she was hiding something like this.

He looked at the pictures one more time. How could anyone do something like that to something like Olivia Benson? Fin was baffled and was trying to comprehend it when he heard her crying again.

"Liv…" he began.

"How did I let this happen?" she sobbed. "How did I let it get this far? I'm a cop; I know how to defend myself. Why did I let him do this to me?" She broke down and, despite her one injured leg, started to curl into herself.

Fin set the folder down and moved to wrap his arms around her. He felt her wince from the pressure, but she moved to wrap her arms around him and held on tight. "Shh, it's okay, baby. It's going to be all right." He soothed her for the longest time, before she finally started to calm down. They released their hold on each other and Fin moved to sit next to her on the bed. "It doesn't have to happen anymore. Do you want to press charges and have him arrested?"

Olivia thought about it for a moment. She never understood why victims of domestic violence hesitated or decided not to press charges against their abuser, knowing full well that the abuse would continue if they didn't. She got angry at them for that… but now, things were different and she understood. She really, really liked Eric and, despite the violence, he was one of the best boyfriends. When he wasn't drunk and/or violent, he always doted on her. There were days when he would ask her to get off of work early, and when she asked why, he said it was a surprise. When she did get off, he whisked her away to some romantic dinner at an expensive restaurant, or a carriage ride through a park, or something of the romantic sense. He was so sweet that she sometimes ignored and overlooked the violence.

But, she knew that there were nights when the romantic prince would be gone and he'd come over drunk and mean. Those were the nights that he treated her like crap rather than a princess. And, despite all the good and sweet things he did, he was always going to be the guy who got drunk and beat her up.

Olivia looked up at Fin. "Yes. I want him arrested. I can't do this anymore."

"Do you know where he is? Is he at home… or work, or something?" he asked her.

She shook her head slightly, trying to think. "Um… there's this bar he always frequents. He says that, like us when we win something, we have our bar… he and his friends have theirs. I think it's called Hades Escape. It's a new place that replaced their old bar. They go their anyway. I've never been; I just heard him talking on the phone about it."

"I'll call Munch and Amaro; tell them to bring him in," Fin informed her and pulled out his cell.

"Don't tell them what he did to me!" she stated and put her hand over the phone.

Fin looked at her. "They need to know what they're arresting him for, Liv. There's a cop downstairs in the lobby. I'll give the folder to him and tell him to give it to them. It's okay. They're going to find out eventually, anyway. But, they need a reason to arrest him, Liv. You know that."

Liv sighed and moved her hand away. "I know, I just… I don't want them to see me and take pity."

"They won't take pity; they'll want revenge," he said, remembering when she was attacked at Sealview by Lowell Harris. Fin had wanted to pull him off of her and kill him. He was pretty sure that once Munch and Amaro saw the photos, they would want to do the same thing to Eric.

"Don't let them beat him up; I don't want him to get off because of police brutality," she told and sat back.

At that moment, Dr. Rodgers came back in. "Okay, are we ready for the X-rays and MRI?"

"Yeah, sure. Get it over with," Olivia stated and turned to Fin. "Go make the call; I'll be fine."

Fin didn't really want to be without her. Olivia was like a little sister to him and he wanted to be there with her, but he knew she was going to be fine getting the tests and he needed to make a call and find the cop downstairs.

Dr. Rodgers released the brakes on Liv's gurney and wheeled her out of the curtained area while Fin began heading toward the entrance and dialed Munch's phone.

A groggy voice answered, "What do you want at this hour, Fin?"

"I need you and Amaro to meet up outside a place called Hades Escape. A uniformed officer will meet you there to give you a folder. After that, go in and arrest Eric Johnson," Fin explained.

"Isn't that Liv's boyfriend? She's going to be pissed that you're arresting her man and going all Stabler on her," Munch replied.

"You'll understand when you get there. Just, when you arrest him, don't hurt him. Bring him in unharmed and we'll talk later. I'm calling Cragen," Fin stated and hung up before calling Captain Cragen.

"What is it, Fin?" he asked, sleepily.

"Sorry to wake you up, Cap, but we have a situation. I have Munch and Amaro on their way to pick up Eric Johnson. Yes, he's Liv's boyfriend and I'll explain later. I'm just letting you know. When Munch and Amaro bring him in, ask for the folder that they'll have. Liv and I will be sometime later," he explained to his boss.

"You're not going to tell me why you're bringing him in?" Cragen asked.

"Like I told Munch, you'll know why soon enough. I got to go, Cap. Talk to you later." He hung up the phone and approached the uniformed officer at the door and looked at the nameplate on the breast of the uniform. "Officer Mayser?"

"Yes, Detective?" the young officer inquired. He had remembered the guy when he had come in to see his friend and remembered he was a detective.

Fin handed him the folder. "I need to take this to two detectives that are going to meet you outside a place called Hades Escape. Do you know where that is?"

"Yes, sir. It just happens to be six blocks from my apartment," Mayser answered.

"Good. They are Detective Sergeant John Munch and Detective Nick Amaro. Don't look at what is in this folder. Just give it to them and come right back to your post here, okay? Can you do that?"

"Yes, sir," Mayser stated and took the folder before heading outside.

Fin turned around and headed back to where Liv's curtain area was. He saw that she wasn't back yet and sat down on a nearby chair next to where he had put her just-in-case bag. He sighed and realized that this was going to be a long night.


	2. Fin's Promise

Title: Fin's Promise.

Author: Cady James.

Genre: General.

Rating: ADULT-ish.

Chapters: 1

Categories: Crime, Drama, Hurt/Comfort.

Pairing: Olivia Benson and OMC.

Characters: Olivia Benson, Odafin Tutuola, John Munch, Nick Amaro, OMC.

Summary: Munch and Amaro find out why they're arresting Olivia's boyfriend and Olivia and Fin have a heart-to-heart.

Author Notes: Chapter 2 of How Did I Let It Get This Far? Disclaimer: _Law & Order: Special Victims Unit_ does not belong to me; neither do the characters. They belong to NBCUniversal and Dick Wolf, and one of the most amazing casts ever assembled on television.

Sergeant John Munch was sitting on the hood of his Sedan in the middle of the night. He was waiting for both Detective Nick Amaro and the uniformed officer that was supposed to bring them a folder. He wondered which one would show up first.

Munch did not like getting out of bed in the middle of the night unless it was important. He usually came right to when Cragen called him to work; but when it was coming from his partner, who mentioned only that he was going to call Cragen, things seemed… off. He had dragged himself out of bed and called Nick and woke him up.

Nick mentioned that his car was out-of-commission as of late and said he'd catch a cab that way. After that, Munch quickly got dressed and headed off to the precinct to get the Sedan so he wouldn't be bringing Liv's boyfriend in his own car.

Ten minutes later, he saw Nick walking down the street and went to catch up with him. "What took you so long?"

"The cab didn't arrive till late and dropped me off six blocks away. He said he doesn't like picking up guys in this area, which bodes well for us," Nick answered as they headed back to the car. "What's going on?"

"Fin called. We're supposed to wait for a uni to come give a folder and then we're supposed to go into Hades Escape to pick up Liv's boyfriend and bring him back to the house. He didn't why and he had yet to call the Captain. All he said was that we'd know why soon enough," Munch explained.

Nick went on alert. "We're picking up Liv's boyfriend? Did he do something to her?"

"Fin didn't say anything on the phone. He said we'd know why soon. Just bring him in once we see this officer. Hopefully he didn't get lost. I didn't even know where this place was. Used to be a hangout for the political hacks and their friends. Before that, it was a cop's hangout. Hades Escape sounds kind of shady."

Nick was about to respond when a squad car pulled up and a very young looking officer stepped out in full uniform.

"Are you guys Detectives Munch and Amaro?" the man asked.

"Sergeant Munch, and yes," Munch answered. "What do you have?"

"I have a folder that I'm supposed to give to you and then I'm supposed to go back to my post at Mercy. I was told not to look in the folder and I didn't," Mayser answered.

"Mercy? Hospital?" Nick inquired. "Is that where Detective Tutuola was when he gave you that file?"

"Yes. He was there to meet a friend of his who had come in earlier," Mayser replied and thought for a moment, trying to remember the woman's name. "Um… I think it was Benson?" He started heading back to his car. "I should go. I'm not really supposed to leave my post."

"Yeah, go," Nick replied and moved toward Munch. "What's in there?"

"Don't know yet," Munch answered. He opened the folder and saw the photographs in front of him. The streetlight from above gave off enough light so both men could see the images clearly. They gasped. It wasn't just any battered woman they were looking at. The numerous pictures were of a very-beaten Olivia Benson. She had bruises all over. One image was of her bruised wrist, another of her leg atop a couple pillows. There were bruises there, but they knew the pillows indicated a broken or fractured leg. The bruises on her arms and legs and torso were one thing, but then the pictures of her bruised and bloodied face were more than both men could take and Munch slammed the file closed. "He beat her."

Nick looked worried and started wondering. There was no way this had been a one-time thing. Some of the bruises he saw looked like had already begun to fade, which meant Olivia had had them for a while. Why didn't she say anything? She was cop; why didn't she stop the bastard from doing this?

Nick had met Eric and thought he was perfect for Olivia after what had happened with David Haden and Brian Cassidy. Eric wasn't a part of their world, but he was in politics and a gentlemen. Every time Nick had seen the guy with Liv, the man seemed like a prince and treated her like his princess. Who knew that, behind that 'ideal boyfriend' façade, was a man who liked to beat women around?

"How come we never saw this? He seemed like the perfect guy for Liv," Munch commented and moved to throw the file into the front seat of the Sedan.

"It was all a façade. And, she just took it," Nick answered and started off toward the entrance of Hades Escape. "I'm her partner the majority of the time and I never saw anything. Some of those bruises… He's been beating her for a while and she did nothing. Let's get this bastard!"

Munch saw the anger in Nick's eyes and his posture and moved to step in front of him. "Look, Nick… I want to kill him, too, but I'm pretty sure that would lead him to claim police brutality and he'd just walk out the door. Let's just go and get him and take him back to the house. We'll see Fin and Liv later. I didn't see a police report in that file, which means he's technically not under arrest. Do this by the book."

Nick stopped and took a moment. He wanted to kick Eric's ass from here to Tuesday, but he knew that wouldn't help Olivia at all. "Fine. Let's go."

They both walked into the building. It still looked like the politicos' and cops' hangout it had been before, but with more red and a name change. And the waitresses wore skimpier clothes. There were some men at the bar watching some game that happened to be on. The two bartenders looked like they were about to crash from exhaustion. In the dining area, there were a whole bunch of men laughing and talking while hitting on any waitress that came by. In the back, groups of people were playing the billiards and getting loud.

The detectives walked around and scanned the crowds before spotting their prospect in the back by the billiards. Both Nick and Munch watched as Eric took a shot and apparently missed. He got angry, threw the cue stick against the wall and stumbled backward. When one of his friends tried to help, Eric roughly pushed him away and went and sat down. They quickly approached.

"Hey, Eric!" Munch shouted out.

He looked up at them as they neared; his eyes were bloodshot and glassy. "You work with Olivia; I remember you. What are you guys doing here?" he asked them.

Nick and Munch looked at each other. He acted like he hadn't done anything wrong. Munch got close and pulled Eric to his feet. "We were asked to bring you down to the precinct."

Eric's friends stopped what they were doing and watched, and Nick moved to make sure none of them got involved. Eric seemed bewildered and panicked. "Why? Did something happen to Olivia? Why do I need to go to the precinct?"

Nick seemed surprised and angry. "What, you don't remember beating the crap out of your girlfriend?"

Eric froze and tried to shake Munch off; there was no success. She stumbled toward Nick and got into his face. "What are you talking about? You have a lot of balls saying I would _ever_ hurt Olivia!"

Nick held his arms out and moved the drunken bastard at arms' length, while Munch pulled the man back. "Come on outside; we've got proof." The two detectives took hold of Eric and took him outside, leaving his friends to wonder what was happening.

When they neared the parked Sedan, Nick held on while Munch reached into the car and pulled out the file and opened it on the hood, spreading out the photos of Olivia and her injuries.

Nick pushed Eric toward them. "This is what you did to her! How long have you been beating her? Huh?" He shoved Eric hard and the man slipped on the hood and fell to the ground. With all the anger that was coursing through him, Nick tried like Hell to stop himself from kicking the man crumpled on the pavement.

Eric half-expected the young Latino detective to kick him, but never felt the sudden painful pressure of a foot meeting any part of his body. He glanced up at the two men above him. With the street light above them, backlighting their figures, they looked scary… even to him. "Listen, I can explain."

"Oh, please enlighten us," Munch responded and crossed his arms.

"It's not what you think. She's… I'm… I'm not like that when I'm sober, I swear. When I drink, I black out, okay. I can't control myself," Eric explained.

"You know, I've been on this job for several years and I've heard this all before. In the end, the men always get the justice they so richly deserve," Munch commented and glared at him. "Our captain is a recovering alcoholic and he probably had his share of blackouts, but he's never beaten the crap out of a woman."

"Maybe he did, he just doesn't remember doing it," Eric commented quietly, and quickly regretted it.

Nick yanked him onto his feet by his collar and pushed him against the hood of the car. He was about ready to clock him, when Munch stepped between him. "Let's just bring him in."

SVUSVUSVU.

Meanwhile, at Mercy Hospital, Olivia had both the MRI and x-rays done. Part of the bone near her ankle was broken, and there was a fracture a few inches above that. She wasn't going to need to wear a cast for a while. Her wrist wasn't broken, just sprained, and the doctor put a splinted brace on it to keep it steady. All Olivia needed was to have the cast put on and the results of her MRI to make sure her head was okay.

They had transferred Olivia to a private room to do her cast. Now, she and Fin waited for a nurse to come around to put the cast on.

"When we're done, we have to head down to the station. Munch and Nick picked up Eric, but he's not technically under arrest until you file a police report," Fin explained as he sat on an uncomfortable chair against the wall of Liv's room. She was sitting up on the gurney staring down at her bruised leg. During both procedures and the waiting that followed, Olivia and Fin had stayed quiet.

Olivia was thinking about her life several weeks ago. She was single and not really looking for a man; she was out celebrating with her friends. Then she met Eric. What seemed so perfect, was the thing that tried to destroy her. She stared at her bruised body and wondered how she could have let a drunken man beat her up. She had grown up with her mother being drunk and abusive; she should've learned from that and stopped Eric after the first time. She just couldn't understand why she didn't.

She looked at Fin. He had said something, but she hadn't been paying attention. "Huh?"

"I said, Munch and Nick went to pick up Eric, but he's not under arrest because you haven't filed a police report. You have to do that once we get down there," Fin repeated. He didn't have to wonder where Liv's head was. He was right there with her. He knew about Liv's past with her mother, and he wondered why she allowed someone like Eric to hit her even once. It didn't make sense.

"Oh… right. Sorry, I should have told you to grab one when you went to pick up my bag. I just didn't want to tell you what happened over the phone. Sorry," Olivia replied, monotonously.

Fin was worried at her tone. It was like she was detached from herself. He wanted to say something, but a nurse came in.

"Hi, Miss Benson, I'm Lucy. I'm here to put your cast on. Now, sadly, we're running low of the various colors except for…," she explained and held up a roll of hot pink material, "this lovely shade of hot pink."

Fin smirked and Olivia's eyes popped out of her head. "You've got to be kidding me. There's no white, or blue, or any normal color?"

"Sorry. We had black, but it was used to fix a twelve-year-old's broken arm," Lucy answered. "Hot pink it is! Have you ever had broken bones before?"

"Yeah, quite a few."

"So, you know how this works. I wet it and wrap it. Let it set and it'll be done. You can't let it get wet in the shower, otherwise the material will loosen. Try putting a bag over it and seal it with duct tape or something and/or rubber bands. I'm aware that you have a broken bone and a fracture, so this will probably be on for six to eight weeks, or whenever the doctor feels it's necessary to come off," Lucy explained and she started the procedure. "This might hurt a little."

As she wrapped the damp cloth around Liv's injured leg, Olivia breathed through the pain. Fin stood up and took hold of her hand. She squeezed it and smiled at him.

While Lucy was busy, Dr. Rodgers came in and noticed the bright color of her patient's cast material. Somehow, she didn't Olivia Benson as someone who liked pink. "Hi, Olivia. Nice color." She opened the beige folder she was holding. The results of your MRI showed nothing serious. You just have a mild concussion. Just don't sleep for the next twenty-four hours and take some pain relievers after the twenty-four hours, if you have really bad headaches. If they get worse, come see immediately… or have someone bring you here immediately. Sometimes, there is nothing on the MRI, but later shows up. You can't be too careful."

Olivia smiled at Fin again, and then looked at Dr. Rodgers. "Thanks, doctor. That's good. When I can I leave?"

"As soon as Lucy is done with your cast and it sets. Then I'll be back with discharge papers, and you can be on your way," Dr. Rodgers answered and headed out, leaving the two detectives and Lucy.

The young woman looked up at her patient. "I'll be done soon, I promise," she said continued to wrap the material around Olivia's leg. It was wrapped around the majority of her foot, over and around her ankle and was halfway to her knee. "It'll stop right below your knee. We're almost done and it'll have to set. Just hang tight for a little while."

"It's what I've been doing," Olivia stated and yawned. She hadn't slept at all. Being knocked unconscious didn't really qualify as sleep, and her concussion was going to make sure she didn't sleep for another twenty-four hours.

Fin noticed this and moved to sit against, careful of the nurse in front of them. "We'll be out of here soon enough, and before you know it, twenty-fours is done and you'll be able to sleep."

Olivia gave him a tired smile and rested her head against his shoulder.

SVUSVUSVU

About an hour later, Fin helped Olivia into the passenger side front seat of his car. Her hot pink cast was covered up with a white sock and the light denim shade of her jeans. The bruises on her arms were covered with a white long-sleeved t-shirt and a navy blue zip-up hoodie with a "NYPD" written in white block letters across the chest. The sleeves of the both shirts partially obscured her brace. But the bruises and injuries on her face were visible and more prominent than they had been when she came in. Any blood – dry or otherwise – had been cleared away, but it didn't make her look any better.

Fin entered the driver's side and got in and shut the door. Liv secured her seatbelt and looked at herself in the side view mirror and closed her eyes. She hadn't had a chance to look at herself, besides the photos. It was pretty bad. "I don't know if I can do this, Fin," she said softly and looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"Do what? Confront that bastard? Press charges? What?" he asked, worried.

"People know me as being strong and tough and being able to defend myself. I'm older than a lot of people in that precinct. They'll see me like this and think… They'll think I can't do my job anymore because I let my boyfriend knock me around," she explained and looked down and her hands that were folded in her lap.

Fin let go of the keys that were waiting to be turned in the ignition and faced Olivia. "Olivia, you are strong and tough. And you can defend yourself. He may have beaten you, but you're still alive and you were able enough to get yourself to the hospital. You fought back. Yes, you let him hurt you, but you wouldn't back down and knew how to defend yourself. Even if you couldn't get your gun, you had your police training do the rest. That man could have killed you, but you fought back and survived. Anyone who thinks you're not strong enough to do the job anymore can come to me. I'll put them in their place, okay?"

Liv looked up at him. "Okay."

He started the ignition and headed off toward the precinct. It was early morning and the streets were a little clear. It wasn't morning rush hour yet and very few cars were on the road. It was four in the morning and people were just starting to get up and ready for the day.

When they arrived at the precinct, Fin turned off the vehicle and sat there. "Can I tell you a secret, Liv?"

She looked over at him. "Yeah."

"I promised not to tell, but you need to know something. When Elliot decided he wasn't coming back, he asked me to go see him. When I did, he made me make a promise to him," Fin started.

"What was it?" Liv asked, tentatively. She missed Elliot Stabler very much. He had been her partner and best friend for over 12 years. She remembered not liking him when they first met, and thought he was an arrogant bastard. Once they were partnered up, she couldn't see herself partnered with anybody else. And, then he left her, leaving her feeling alone and empty. Olivia missed him.

"He made me promise to take care of you and watch your back. He knew that someone else would be your partner, whether it is me or Munch or someone new… He said that no matter whom your new partner was, to still look out for you. He wanted you to know that you are still loved and cared for. He said he did that for over a decade with you, and he wanted that to continue once he left. He said that, by giving that to you, it would make you feel complete, and would give you hope that everything would be okay. I've tried my best to keep that promise. And, I told Nick, when it was clear that he was kind of your new partner, to watch out for you and keep you safe when I couldn't. I wish I could have known about Eric and protected you. I kind of failed you," he told and looked away. There were tears in his eyes and he didn't want Olivia to see them.

Olivia sniffled and carefully wiped the tears from her eyes. She couldn't believe Elliot would say something like that. She knew he cared for her, but she didn't even know how much until now. Live was never aware that Elliot was making sure she was loved and cared for, and giving her some hope in life. She hadn't seen it, at first when he left, that she was lost and hope was gone. Now, she could. Elliot had given her that. And, he made sure that Fin would, too. He had. On occasion, Fin would ask Live if she wanted to hang out or go out somewhere… for fun. He had become so attentive with her, and she had never understood why. She had just accepted it and just had fun.

They were still hanging out when David came into her life, but she didn't want to tell him because she was afraid that she and David wouldn't last, and because of their jobs. Olivia trusted Fin, and knew that Fin trusted her, but she hadn't been ready to tell him about the man in her life. At this point, she kind of wished she had.

"I… can't believe… he did that. I had no idea he was doing that for me. I'm glad he made you promise to take care of me. It's sweet… of both of you. I do feel loved and cared for. You are my family, Fin. I know you guys have my back… And, you didn't fail me. You didn't know because I didn't say anything. I trust you, and I know you trust me, and I should have said something and I didn't. There are so many ways that this whole thing could have been prevented… and it wasn't. It's not your fault. You didn't fail me, nor did you break your promise to Elliot. You taking care of me right now are proof of that. This wasn't your fault," Olivia told him. "I love you, Fin." He looked over at her, kind of shocked. She smiled at him. "As a brother, I mean. Thank you." She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"You're welcome, Baby Girl," he replied and they both looked in the direction the precinct. "You ready for this?"

Olivia sighed, heavily. "Yeah, let's get this over with."


	3. The Princess and the Beast

Title: The Princess and the Beast.

Author: Cady James.

Genre: General.

Rating: ADULT-ish.

Chapters: 1.

Categories: Crime, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Legal.

Pairing: Olivia Benson and OMC.

Characters: Olivia Benson, Odafin Tutuola, John Munch, Nick Amaro, Donald Cragen, Alex Cabot, OMC.

Summary: Olivia files the police report and Eric is formally arrested.

Author Notes: Chapter 3 of How Did I Let It Get This Far? Also, the details of a "domestic incident" police report were found on a website. I wanted to be accurate at what is on a police report. Disclaimer: _Law & Order: Special Victims Unit_ does not belong to me; neither do the characters. They belong to NBCUniversal and Dick Wolf, and one of the most amazing casts ever assembled on television.

Fin Tutuola exited from the driver's side and closed the door before quickly heading over to the passenger side and opening the door for Olivia Benson. She managed to carefully swing her injured leg out before moving the rest of her body. Fin helped her out of the car and shut the door. She would have been able to use crutches from the hospital, but the sprained wrist prevented her from being able to hold onto them.

He helped her hobble over to the steps and they slowly climbed up. A few officers held open the door for them and one security guard had managed to find a wheelchair and presented it to her.

Olivia smiled up at him. "No, thanks. This may hurt like hell, but I can do this. Maybe later," she said to him and both she and Fin waved the guy off. They got through the metal detectors just fine and headed toward the elevator.

Thankfully, it wasn't packed and Liv moved out of Fin's arms to lean against the side. He leaned against the wall and pressed the button their bullpen was on and sighed. He wasn't exhausted, just tired from getting up at one in the morning.

He yawned and she laughed. "Know the feeling. At least you got to sleep. I haven't at all."

"I only had a couple hours before you called. I went to see a friend," Fin replied. The elevator dinged and the door opened to their floor. "Now or never."

He wrapped his arms carefully around her again and they slowly made their way toward the bullpen. They both noticed some people were staring and whispering after seeing the way Olivia looked. Fin could feel her slightly stiffen in his arms. "Ignore them, Liv," he whispered into her ear.

"I'm trying to," she replied back.

They headed in and the room got eerily silent. John Munch, Nick Amaro, and Eric Johnson weren't around, but Captain Donald Cragen was standing right in the doorway of his office, standing next to ADA Alexandra Cabot. Alex was Olivia's female best friend. They'd known each other almost as long as she knew the man next to her, propping her up.

The only other people in the room were a couple other detectives she Olivia didn't really work with, and a handful of uniformed officers.

Cragen and Alex stood there, shocked. They had seen the photos when Munch and Nick brought the man in, but seeing some photos didn't compare to seeing Olivia in person. Both of them quickly approached the pair and they stood there in silence, not believing a situation like this was even happening.

Olivia looked up and saw tears in Alex's eyes. The blonde couldn't believe she was seeing her best friend and bruised and beaten by a man who had seemed like a prince. Cragen's face just looked pale. He couldn't believe that someone would even dare to hurt the woman he considered a daughter.

Liv started to feel a little uncomfortable when no one was talking, and repeated the first words she had said to Fin when he saw her in the hospital "Say something."

Alex opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't find the words and moved to carefully hug the woman in front of her.

Olivia was surprised by the action at first, but then let go of Fin to slowly move her arms to return the embrace. When the two let go, Fin went to support her again, but she waved him off. "I think I can stand on my own now."

"Okay," he stated and moved his hands away.

They looked at Cragen, who then quickly gestured toward Olivia's desk. "Here, sit." He placed a guiding hand on her elbow and helped lead her to her chair.

Olivia sat down and carefully rested her injured leg in a semi-comfortable position. "Thanks. So, where is he?"

"Eric is talking with Munch and Nick, but Liv, we can't hold him or send him to Central Booking until you file a police report. Otherwise, he walks," Alex told her and then looked at him. "Why didn't you have a police report with you at the hospital?"

"He didn't know what was happening until he got there. I didn't feel like explaining things over the phone," Liv answered. "I know I should have told him to pick one up when he went to get back bag out of my locker to bring to the hospital, but… I didn't want to explain why."

They sat in silence, before went over to get a blank police report and brought it over. "We can do it now, Liv."

She looked around and saw some people trying to subtly glance at her… not so subtle. "Um… can we do it somewhere else? I can't do this here," she asked, getting more and more uncomfortable with the attention.

"We can do it in my office, Olivia. Here, let me help you," Cragen suggested and he and Fin moved to help her stand up and they slowly made their way toward Cragen's office.

Alex began to follow behind them, and noticed everyone had stopped and watched Olivia move. Alex stopped and turned to them. "Guys, get back to work." She quickly moved to follow the trio into Cragen's office and closed the door and blinds once they were inside.

Cragen and Fin helped Olivia sit on the couch and she moved to rest her foot on the cushions and got a little more comfortable.

"Better?" Fin asked.

"A little," she replied and looked at Alex. "Thanks for doing that."

"No problem. So, let's get this started," Alex began.

Olivia got tense and uncomfortable again. "Can… Can it just be me and the Captain, please?" She addressed both Alex and Fin. "Fin's already heard it and doesn't need to hear it again, and Alex, I'm sure you'll hear it eventually, but I don't really want an audience. Please?"

Both Fin and Alex saw the pained look in Olivia's eyes. She wasn't normally like this, and it was heartbreaking. They both nodded and quietly walked out the door and closed it, leaving Liv with her boss, her Captain, the man who was like a father to her.

Cragen saw the emotions going through her eyes. This wasn't the Olivia he knew. She seemed more like the victims they came cross every day. She was unsure of herself and self-conscious about everything. It pained him to see her so fragile. He moved to sit in a chair near the sofa and pulled out a book to place under the police report. He wrote down the things he already knew, like her name and age, race and ethnicity, address, and phone number. He wrote down the assailant's name, race and ethnicity. He'd ask Liv for Eric's date of birth and age later, if she knew it. Cragen also wrote down Liv's relationship to Eric, and checked all the necessary boxes that applied and the charges. The next part was the worst part; getting right down to the crime itself. He had seen the photos, but he knew that hearing it would be the hardest thing for both of them.

"Okay, what happened tonight?"

"I was home, by myself. I wasn't expecting him to come over. Sometimes, he doesn't. My gun was secured in my nightstand… he's hit me before and I either had it on me, or I knew that if things got worse, I would go get it to assure myself… and to scare him off. That didn't happen tonight," Olivia started explaining and watched as Cragen started writing it down. She sighed and continued, "He doesn't have a key to my place. There was a knock at the door, and it was him. He smelled like alcohol and I knew he was drunk. I knew this wasn't going to be a good night."

"Liv, how long has the abuse been going on?" Cragen asked.

She sighed and moved her uninjured hand through her hair and tried to fight the tears. "A few weeks ago. I was handling it."

"_This_ is handling it?" he inquired.

Liv started getting angry and tightened her jaw. "_This_ didn't happen until tonight. He wasn't beating the crap out of me on a regular basis. It was a few hits and punches and grabbing my arms a little harder than normal. Nothing like this." She sat back and sighed. "I was about to do what I normally did when we came over drunk. Try to give him coffee and go push him in the shower. But, that just made things worse. He, uh… backhanded me and I went to go get my gun. He grabbed me and said I wasn't going to just walk away from him." Olivia let out a shaky breath. "He was holding my wrist and I tried to get him off of me and he wouldn't let go. That's how I sprained my wrist. I was able to get away and was heading to go get my gun, when he grabbed me again. I just kept trying to attack him. That's where all my injuries are from. And, apparently, my broken leg. At one point, I tried to get away and he ended up pushing me. I fell and… I must have hit my head on the coffee table. I don't remember anything after that; just waking up a couple hours later with my head bleeding, my leg and wrist in a lot of pain, and just general pain everywhere else. I assumed Eric wasn't there and I found my keys and managed to get myself to the hospital," Liv finished explaining, tears flowing down her cheeks. "I used all the police training I had to fight him and… I couldn't.

"What about your gun?" Cragen asked.

"I guess it's still in my nightstand. I didn't check," she answered.

He swallowed and prepared himself as asked his next and final question. "Olivia… did he rape you?"

Olivia looked up at him and saw the fear in his eyes. It would have been a whole other kind of trauma for everyone if Eric had raped her. But, she breathed and looked her captain in the eyes and gave a slight smile through the tears. "No, he didn't. I never felt any discomfort there. And, going on that realization, I chose not to have a rape exam."

"He could have, Liv. You know it is possible. And, I think you of all people should know that it's better safe than sorry," Cragen commented.

"I know. I just… don't think he raped me. I've had sex before and I can feel it in the morning… I didn't feel anything like that. I'm positive, okay. Can we please move on?" she asked, clearly in distress.

Cragen nodded and continued with making marks and notes in the report. He checked a box that asked if there weapons in the home at the time of the attack. He put a little side note above, stating that the gun was police issue registered to Olivia. He signed his signature in the area he was supposed to sign and handed it to Olivia. "Check to see if everything is correct and sign. Also, you need Eric's date of birth and age."

Olivia took hold of the report and Cragen's pen and read through everything she had told him. All the information was correct and she filled out Eric's date of birth and age. His birthday had occurred while they were together. She remembered it and the age he was. Then, she went to the bottom of the paper and signed her name and dated it before handing it back to Cragen, without ever saying a word.

"Thanks. I'll go give this to Alex," he stated and stood up and walked out the door. Apparently, Alex wasn't far because a minute later, Cragen was back and sat down again. "Olivia, I know this is hard for you."

She looked up at him with tired, depressed eyes. "No, you don't. You have no idea what it's like to be me, at all. You didn't grow up with a mother who drank excessively and smacked you around because you were the direct result and constant reminder of a rape; you weren't the one down in that basement in Sealview, wondering how long it would take for someone to come and find you, and knowing you were almost about to become a victim of rape; you weren't the one who let your boyfriend smack you around and beat you so hard you ended up in a hospital with a broken leg, a sprained wrist and a concussion and numerous bruises! You have absolutely no idea what that's like!" She shouted and tried to stand up, but failed and crumpled back onto the couch, sobbing. "I let him do this to me, and I didn't do a damn thing to stop it!"

Cragen sat there and listened to her; his heart breaking at every word. He knew about her mother and the alcoholism and abuse that Olivia suffered through. He knew something had happened while she was undercover at Sealview, but didn't know to what extent the damage was… until now. Sitting before him wasn't a survivor of years of abuse; sitting before him wasn't a just a fragile woman. Olivia was broken and in pieces. He moved to sit next to her and put a soft hand on her back and watched her flinch and move away.

"Liv, I think you need to talk to somebody," he suggested. "You're in pain." Olivia snorted at that statement – the understatement of the century. "Maybe, when we're done here, you should see a therapist or something."

"Why? It's not like they can cure me from all the pain I've ever experienced in my life. I've done just fine on my own," she stated.

"You know we suggest this to all victims. See a therapist, get counseling, get help," he told her.

Olivia suddenly broke down. She knew she was a victim, but it took someone like Cragen saying out loud to make it sound real. This wasn't her; it wasn't who Olivia Benson was. Olivia Benson was an NYPD Detective who could kick any man's ass without one ounce of trouble. "Why couldn't I stop him? How could he overpower me like that? I don't understand."

This time, she didn't flinch when Cragen moved to his arms around her in an embrace. "Maybe… you had feelings for him and maybe it clouded your common sense. It was like your mother all over again. You knew the abuse was wrong and had a way of defending yourself, but you cared about him and couldn't bring yourself to hurt him."

"He wasn't the love of my life! Why didn't I stop him? I let him hurt me!" she cried harder against him.

He searched for words to comfort her, but just couldn't find any. "I can't answer that, Liv." She continued to cry and he rubbed her back for a while.

When Olivia finally calmed down, she looked up at her boss. "I want to see him."

"Liv, you know you can't do that," he warned her, knowing that, like her former partner, when she set her mind to something involving interrogating a perp it was kind of hard to get her to back down.

"I don't want to question him; I just want to see him. I want him to see me… like this. I want to talk to him. Please, Captain," she pleaded with him.

Captain Cragen sat there for a moment. This probably wasn't a good idea, but maybe if it helped Olivia to heal. "Fine, but you can't start interrogating him. You're victim, he's your attacker."

"I know. I just want to see him."

Cragen nodded and helped her stand up and pondered something "Wouldn't it be better if you had a wheelchair?"

"Yes, it would, but I have a concussion and can't sleep for twenty-four hours. I haven't slept since yesterday morning. If I spend my time being wheeled around, I'm going to fall asleep. Exhaustive moment keeps me awake," Liv explained and they slowly made their way out of his office and headed toward the interrogation room where Munch and Nick were sweating Eric.

When they got there, Fin and Alex were outside, watching through the two-way mirror. Olivia let go of her captain and moved to lean against the frame of the mirror. She hadn't Eric since he was in her home attacking her. "He barely has a scratch on him. Of all the fighting back…," she commented, mostly to herself.

"When they take him to Central Booking, a strip search might yield some injuries that might be under his clothes," Fin stated and rubbed his eyes; he was insanely tired.

"Did he ever admit to hurting me?"

"Munch said he did when they went to pick him up, but he made up an excuse for it," Fin answered.

Olivia sarcastically chuckled and stared straight at Eric. "He always does. Let me guess… he blacked out and can't remember ever hitting me? He never remembers doing it."

"We were about to go in and formally arrest him, Olivia," Alex piped up.

Liv looked at Alex and Fin, and then at Cragen and nodded.

Cragen turned to Alex and Fin. "She wants to talk to him first."

Both Alex and Fin said nothing; they never better than step in front of a determined Olivia, no matter what the situation was.

Liv slowly made her way to the door and opened it. Munch and Nick were also seeing Olivia for the first time and were stunned at what stood before them. Pictures were one thing… seeing her all beaten and bruised made them even angrier at the man sitting on the other side of the table.

She looked at both Munch and Nick and quickly darted her eyes away and tried to shield most of her injuries from their view. She hated looking like this in front of the men she worked with. How could they ever rely on her again after being taken down by a man like Eric?

Speaking of… Eric sat at the table in silence, just staring at Olivia. His eyes were bloodshot, despite the half-empty cup of coffee sitting in front of him. Clearly, Munch and Nick were trying to sober him and keep him awake.

"Olivia, what happened to you?" he asked, his words still slurring.

"What? You don't remember coming over and beating the crap out of me? No, of course not. You never remember doing it," Liv answered and moved to lean against the table.

"Look, when I drink I black out. I've told you that before. I don't know what I'm doing when I black out," Eric explained.

"And, during that blackout, instead of just getting violent with whatever is around you, you manage to make your way to her home and take it out on her?" Munch inquired, feigning a puzzled expression.

"See, that I don't understand. You're in a bar… right? You could pick a fight with anyone in there, or just go out and bash some inanimate objects, or punch a wall. But, you either drive yourself or you catch a cab and they take you to Olivia's home. You manage to get there safely, make your way to her door, and wait till she opens the door, so you can take your anger out on her. That's some blackout," Nick offered and crossed his arms.

Eric looked from Nick to Olivia and pleaded to her with his eyes. "Liv, you know me. You know I would never hurt you. Tell them, it's not all the time; tell them you take care of me sometimes. Tell them!"

"Yeah, sometimes. But, there are times when it never gets that far. You get angry and hurt me," she told him.

"Yes, okay. Maybe during my blackouts I do some bad things, okay. But, it's not that bad! You know that!" Eric screamed, trying to get her and her friends to understand his dilemma.

That comment incensed Olivia to her core. "'_It's not that bad_'?" She pushed away from the table and quickly unzipped her navy-blue hoodie and shrugged out of it, careful of the brace on her left wrist, then managed to quickly take off the white shirt, despite that brace. She was left standing in a black camisole and all the newly revealed bruises and the brace. Olivia rolled up the right pant leg of her jeans and took off the sock to reveal the entire hot-pink cast and moved backward until Eric could see her from head-to-toe.

Everyone but Fin let out an audible and collective gasp. They hadn't seen the rest of the injuries, except in picture. The images were taken when the bruises and cuts were new. A little time had passed and the bruises were more vivid; the minor cuts were already healing, but the bigger ones were ugly.

"Look at me, Eric! _It's not that bad_? Look at what you did to me!" she screamed at him. "And, these are just the ones you can see. There are more bruises on my back and my stomach, and my legs…" Olivia started to cry. "_This_ is what you've been doing to me for the past few weeks."

Eric sat there in shock and realized what he had done He stood up slowly and moved toward her, making Munch and Nick a little wary and they moved to block him from getting too close. Eric accepted that and stood still, tears in his eyes. "Olivia, I am so sorry I hurt you. I need help, okay? I have a problem and I have blackouts. I did this to you because of those blackouts."

"Yeah, you need help. And, I know you, Eric. You do this on your own and it won't last. I can't do this anymore. The only I know that you're going to get help is by arresting you," she told him.

That stunned Eric. "No, Olivia. You know that I'm not like this all the time. I care about you. When I'm okay, I treat you like the princess that you are." He cautiously moved past Munch and Fin, who were quick to stop him.

Olivia moved to rest her hand on Munch's arm. "Guys, it's okay. Let him go," she stated and they obeyed, allowing Eric to move closer to her.

"All I need is help to deal with my problem. I can deal with this on my own and I can treat you like a princess all the time. Remember, you call me your prince and knight in shining armor when we're together and happy?" He carefully cupped her face in his hands. "I love you, Olivia. We can be okay, I promise. I will never hurt you again, I swear to it. I'll get help."

Olivia's eyes welled up with tears and she gulped back the emotions and settled her hands softly on his arms. "You are a prince to me, Eric. And, I do care for a lot…"

He smiled at that. "See? You can just drop the charges and I can get help and never hurt you again, My Princess. I love you." He leaned closer and placed a tender kiss on her forehead, then moved back to look in her eyes. "See?"

"No, Eric. You're a prince, most of the time. But, there are times when you become a beast to me. That's not love." She moved away from him and started to cry. "You need help and the only way you're going to get it is by being in jail. I can't do this anymore; I don't want to be with you anymore." She nodded at Munch and Nick.

The two detectives moved to secure him, but he got free and grabbed Olivia around her uninjured wrist. The scene froze for a moment and Olivia looked scared, thinking Eric was going to hurt her again in front of everyone.

Eric noticed what he was doing and let go instantly. Munch and Nick quickly grabbed a hold of his arms and Nick placed him in cuffs, behind his back and started pulling him away. "Eric Johnson, you're under arrest for assault and battery on a police officer. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be provided for you. Do you understand these rights as I have explained them to you?"

He started shouting at her – missing the last part of the question – as they took him away. "Olivia, don't do this! I love you!" The shouts faded as he got further away and Olivia stood there crying Cragen stepped in.

"Olivia?" he asked, softly.

She looked up at him and spoke quietly, "You mentioned something earlier about a therapist?" She moved to grab her hoodie, her white shirt and her sock. Liv slipped only the hoodie on and zipped it up.

"Yeah, we'll contact one. Come on," he wrapped an arm around her and led her outside the room, where Alex and Fin stood, waiting for them.

"Did he ever ask for an attorney?" Olivia inquired.

"No, we waived it early on," Alex answered and the four of them made their way, slowly, in the direction of the squad room. "But, you know that's subject to change later on."

"I know he knows a lot of attorneys, so he'll probably find a good one."

"Don't get discouraged, Liv. You can do this," Fin assured her. "By the way, Dr. Rodgers stopped by while you were talking to Eric."

Liv stopped suddenly and looked at him with a panicked look in her eyes. "Why? Is everything okay?"

Fin smiled and moved to support her on her other side. "She just dropped off your medical report. It had to go into the file. She forgot to give it to me when you were discharged and wanted to make sure it made it in the file so we could put Eric behind bars. She saw him through the mirror and wanted to kill him."

"That's good," was all Liv could say. She was tired and just wanted to sleep right now.

The group walked into Cragen's office and Olivia moved to sit on the couch again while the others sat near or around her.

"You know, this situation is going to get worse before it gets better, Olivia," Cragen informed her, and the two others.

Both Fin and Alex nodded, and Olivia closed her eyes and sighed heavily. "I know."

**END NOTE: I was about to finish up the story after Eric's arrest, and almost forgot to **_**Mirandize**_** him. That probably would make things worse, if I hadn't. But, I've watched hundreds of cop shows and legal shows in my life. I know my shit.**


End file.
